


Endless Silence

by NightValeian



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Loosely based on Jack's Heist, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-28
Packaged: 2018-02-03 06:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1734077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightValeian/pseuds/NightValeian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>----Based on Jack's Heist----</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>  <i>"Eagle Three? Come in, Eagle Three." Jack says into his headset, receiving only a static filled silence on the other side. Though his heart was pounding, his hands were steady and he continued to fly the plane farther away from the chaos that was their encounter with the cops. "Eagle Three, respond."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Endless Silence

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So I wrote this because I watched Jack’s Heist and when I saw the part where Ray held off the cops to let the boys get away, I knew I had to write something about it. It's a different spin on the events of the Let's Play. So, this will be a three part thing and…well, I hope you enjoy it.

_Everyone get in! Hurry!_

_I'm getting biffed! I'm not gonna make it!_

_Get in! Get in!_

_Ray!_

_Just go! Just go! Just go!_

_We're gonna lose the wing!_

_Just go! I'll make sure you'll make it!_

_We're not going to be able to take off!_

_You'll make it! You're doing fine!_

_Keep going! Keep going!_

_Yes! We made it!_

_Okay! Who's still on the ground?_

"Eagle Three? Come in, Eagle Three." Jack says into his headset, receiving only a static filled silence on the other side. Though his heart was pounding, his hands were steady and he continued to fly the plane farther away from the chaos that was their encounter with the cops. "Eagle Three, respond."

The silence was suffocating, but what made it worse was the panicked look that Gavin was giving him from the passenger seat. They all heard the same silence; the same, empty silence they heard when they lost contact with Geoff not minutes before. "Did-Did we lose Ray?" Michael asks from his place behind his seat and for the first time all night, Jack has no idea what to say.

Maybe Ray had gotten caught, but with their wanted level, it was highly unlikely that he was still alive, just like Geoff, who had probably been taken out by that store clerk. He can't lie to them, because they know how this worked. Just because they'd gotten lucky before didn't mean they would always wind up that way and today appeared to be one of those days. "I think we lost Eagle One and Eagle Three."

Silence follows his statement, a silence even worse than the one currently coming from his headset. Moments pass before the next sound he hears is movement. "Ryan, what are you doing?" Gavin asks hesitantly.  

Gavin's words cause Jack to turn and look back over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Ryan angrily shoving his arms through the straps of a parachute. "Ryan, what are you doing?" Jack asks, echoing Gavin's words though with a bit more alarm.

Ryan shakes his head, goes to the plane door and places his hand on the handle. He takes a shaky breath before he finally answers. "Like hell I'm losing both of them."

"Ryan, don't-" But whatever Michael was about to say is lost as Ryan opens the plane door and Jack gets one last look at the man before he jumps into the open air. "Ryan!"

"Michael!" Gavin exclaims before he scrambles from his seat. There's sounds of a struggle before the plane door closes followed by a silence that's only filled by heavy breathing, the occasional soft sniffle, and a hushing noise that's meant to be soothing. This silence hurts more than the silence on the headsets.

Jack can't bring himself to turn around to look at them, to see the looks of pain on their faces. They'd started out with six and in a matter of minutes, three of them had been taken away, possibly forever. And it was Jack's fault because he just hadn't planned carefully enough. How could he attempt to finish the heist with this weighing down on him? He really wishes Geoff was there...He'd know what to do. Geoff always knew what to do.

"Eagle Two, what's your position?" Gavin asks after a few moments, taking control of the situation and Jack is relieved that he has. Gavin may have been a bit of an idiot at times, but he has moments when he knows exactly what to do. "Ryan?"

"I'm on the ground." Ryan responds after a brief silence and there's a collective sigh of relief throughout the aircraft which lifts some of the lingering tension. "I'm heading back to Ray's location. I'm sorry, but I wasn't going to leave him behind."

"It's alright." Jack says honestly and without hesitation. Because it _was_ alright; Jack can't be upset for what Ryan had decided to do. In fact, he was rather proud for not leaving a man, no, a lover, behind. "We'll come back around once we get the jets. Stay alive until we do."

"Roger that." Ryan replies, voice hushed and Jack figures he's already back in the chaos, lingering in the shadows for the right moment to strike.

"And Ryan?" Jack pauses, tries to collect his thoughts. This would be the moment he should tell him that he loves him, because it might be the last time he can. He lost the chance with Geoff and possibly Ray, he can't have it happen again. He hears Ryan's questioning hum, a signal to continue. Jack hesitates a moment longer before he speaks. "Ryan...Bring our boy home."

Silence.

Then a quiet, "Roger that."

Jack keeps flying the plane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like what you see? Wanna say hi?  
> Come visit me at [My Tumblr](http://thequeenofhighgarden.tumblr.com)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"We're approaching the base now. How's it going by you, Ryan?" Jack asks after some time, needing to hear the other man's voice and to have that reassurance that he was still alive. He knows Ryan can talk and shoot at the same time, but he still feels guilt for distracting him from the task at hand. After all of their losses that day, he can't lose Ryan too. None of them can. "Did you find Ray? Is he...?"_
> 
>  
> 
> _"These cops are endless, holy shit, where do they keep coming from?" Ryan complains, stopping Jack's question with a voice that's drowned out by the sounds of gunfire. He fires off a couple shots followed by a couple of colorful profanities and finally sighs. "I have Ray. He's alive, but he's hurt bad, Jack. He needs medical attention."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a few days, but it's here now. Sorry for the wait. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

"We're approaching the base now. How's it going by you, Ryan?" Jack asks after some time, needing to hear the other man's voice and to have that reassurance that he was still alive. He knows Ryan can talk and shoot at the same time, but he still feels guilt for distracting him from the task at hand. After all of their losses that day, he can't lose Ryan too. None of them can. "Did you find Ray? Is he...?"

"These cops are endless, holy shit, where do they keep coming from?" Ryan complains, stopping Jack's question with a voice that's  drowned out by the sounds of gunfire. He fires off a couple shots followed by a couple of colorful profanities and finally sighs. "I have Ray. He's alive, but he's hurt bad, Jack. He needs medical attention."

The news that Ray was alive was a blessing and Jack could feel the tension ease from his shoulders. Hurt, but alive, they needed to act fast. "Once we get the jets, we'll be coming back your way before you know it. Just keep fighting." He says, casting a quick glance behind to his two boys who were also staring at him, ready for the next order as always. "Alright, boys, remember the plan. Michael, you and I are going to parachute down to grab jets. Gavin, you're staying up here with the plane." Gavin makes a noise like he's about to protest, but Jack lifts a hand from the controls, silencing him. "Don't argue with me. Plans change. Whatever happens, we keep moving. Do you understand?"

"Don't worry, Jack. We've got it." Michael says firmly and Jack believes him. They all know they'll make it because failing isn't an option anymore. Failing means it would have all been for nothing. That Geoff's death, Ray's sacrifice, and Ryan's heroism would have been for nothing. "Piece of cake."

Getting to the jets was a lot easier than Jack thought it was going to be. While parachuting into a military base wasn't exactly ideal due to the fact it left them open to gun fire, the two of them still manage to touch down on the ground without injury which was a small miracle in Jack's opinion.

"Alright, work fast. Grab the first jet you see so we can get the hell out of here." Jack says into his headset before he climbs onto the wings of the first jet he finds, struggling with the hatch for a moment before he finally gets it open. Sirens begin to wail, men start to shout and Jack knows that they're running out of time. "What's your status, Michael?"

"I've got a jet." Michael responds after a moment, a bit breathless from his run. Jack can hear the boy's hesitation before he flips on the jet and the sound of the engine roaring to life filled the headsets. "I'm all good. I'm going to take off. "

Jack wasn't one for disobeying orders, but when they were his own, he made an exception. He waits until Michael is in the air and Gavin is flying beside him before his jet even moves. "I'm in the air." Michael says after a moment. Jack pulls out, ignoring the bullets bouncing against the window and sides of the jet, making quick time of going down the runway and taking off after Michael. "Overlord is also in the air."

"Fuck _yes_ , we did it!" Michael exclaims and Jack makes a noise of distress when the boy's jet starts spinning in the air with his enthusiasm.

"Michael, don't mess around. We may have escaped with jets, but we haven't finished the heist."  Jack says firmly. These boys were going to be the death of him one day. If not due to a heist, it would be due to worry. Michael's jet levels out and Jack turns his attention back to the matter at hand. "Ryan, we're coming back around. How are you and Ray holding up?"

Ryan's voice crackles through the headset after a moment. The sounds of gunfire are less than they had been before, but there was still the occasional sound of firing or sirens in the background. "We're fine." Ryan's tone is tired, frustrated. "Please tell me you'll be here in the next ten minutes because I'm running out of ammo."

"You're just _now_ running out of ammo?" Gavin asks, amazed. "How much did you even bring with you? Enough to supply a bloody ammunition store?"

"Gavin, not now." Jack says, putting a stop to the conversation before it even happened. They had other things to worry about. "Gavin, you have the plane, so you'll land to pick up Ryan and Ray. Michael and I will give you the cover you need. When you get them, we'll fly until we lose the cops and go from there. Sound good?"

"Roger that." The three of them chime only to erupt into chuckles seconds later.

They fly for some time in silence, only having it broken occasionally when Jack tells Ryan how close they are to his location. When they make it back to the city and start their descent down to the bridge they'd fled from not even an hour before, Michael whistles low and Jack lets out a breath that echoes the sentiment.

"Jesus, Ryan, you have like the entire state's police force shooting at you." Gavin says in awe and Michael laughs nervously in agreement. The bridge is crowded with police cars while a long line of cops stand circled around a building where Ryan and Ray were obviously hiding.

"Really? Thank you, Gavin. I didn't notice."  Ryan says, voice dripping with sarcasm and Jack has to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Bring it in, guys, focus. Does everyone know what they need to do?" Jack asks and the groans that fill his ears are loud in unison.

"We've been over this a million times. You and I land, start shooting and Ryan gets Ray on the plane with Gavin." Michael says because it wasn't like they hadn't already gone over it a lot since they escaped the base.

"And no matter what we see or hear, we keep going. We _know_ , Jack." Gavin finishes. "It's not like we're new at this or anything."

Jack sighs because he knows. They've done this so many times already, but they'd already lost someone today and they very nearly lost another. To say that Jack is scared is an understatement; Jack is terrified. "Okay, I get it. Just be careful."

"We'll be fine." Michael says confidently as he begins to lower his landing gear. "I'm ready when you are, Jack."

Jack nods though Michael can't see him and lowers his own landing gear when they start to get closer to the ground. Their landing is successful though a little bumpy and Jack counts to three before he opens the hatch, takes aim and fires into the crowd of cops. When Michael joins him, it proves as a successful distraction, drawing the cops from Ryan and Ray's hiding place and allowing Gavin to land the plane without any difficulty.

Jack is too focused on shooting to see if Ryan actually makes it out of the building with Ray, but after some time, his headset crackles to life, though he can't understand what's being said over the noise. It's only when he shrinks down into the cockpit to reload his gun when he can finally make out what's being said into the headset.

"They're on the plane. I repeat, they're on the plane. Get the hell out of there." Gavin says urgently and Jack reaches up to pull the hatch closed quickly, staying low in his seat until he starts his jet and manages to get it moving.

"We're done here. Everyone get out of here. Get out of here now." Jack orders, speeding down the street until he can take off into the air. Once he does, he turns the jet around to catch a glimpse of Michael and Gavin taking off successfully as well. "Good job, boys. Ryan, how's Ray?"

"He's lost a lot of blood, but there's enough supplies on the plane that I can patch him up with. He's going to be alright, Jack." Ryan says and Jack is relieved. Ray was going to be alright; it wasn't all for nothing because they managed to save one of their boys.

"That's the best news I've heard all day." Jack replies and if the boys hear the tremor in his voice, they say nothing. They're all equally relieved that Ray will be okay and they'd be lying if they said they weren't a little emotional after the day's events. He only wishes that they could have saved Geoff too. "We'll fly for a while and then ditch the planes. Once we do, we can call a car and go home."

They fly in silence for a while, enjoying the first bit of peace they'd gotten all day. Michael and Gavin fall into conversation over the headsets while Jack leads the group from the city limits into less populated territory.

"Let's land right in this area." Jack announces when he finds a good place. It's a flat patch of land, really in the middle of nowhere, but the road next to it eventually merges to the highway which will make it easier for them to get home. "Gavin, please be careful."

"Jack, please, I'm an amazing pilot." Gavin replies as he starts to descend. Michael and Jack hold back until Gavin manages to land the plane, which takes several attempts, before they also land nearby. "See? No problem."

"Gavin, you _suck_ at flying." Michael snaps which causes them to fall into a mess of bickering that only gets louder when Gavin leaves the plane to argue with Michael face to face. Jack removes his headset, opens the hatch to his jet and climbs out, walking straight to the plane because despite just saving Ray, he has to see him to know he's okay.

Ryan is coming down the stairs of the plane just as Jack reaches them. They stare at each other for a moment and Jack takes in Ryan's expression which holds a multitude of things; relief, exhaustion, and maybe a twinge of sadness. "Are you alright?" Jack asks and Ryan can only shrug.

"I've had better days." Ryan says simply, coming down the rest of the stairs and reaching out to place his hand on Jack's shoulder. He squeezes, offering a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He's trying to comfort him and Jack is probably the last person who should be comforted. "It wasn't your fault. "

"Ryan, don't." Jack protests. He doesn't want to hear this, not now. He just wants to see his boy, go home, and pretend like he doesn't notice the empty space in the bed that they share.

"I'm serious. Geoff wouldn't want-"

"I said, _don't_." Jack's heart aches and his tired eyes burn as tears threaten to form. He takes a deep breath, lifts his hand and places it over Ryan's, giving a slight squeeze. "I'm sorry. Just not now, okay?"

Ryan nods and removes his hand. "Alright. Later then." He says, motioning to the stairs. "Go see Ray. I'll talk to Michael about calling the car."

Jack  says nothing in response, instead choosing to walk up the stairs to the plane. Ray is sitting in the front row, eyes closed, pale and bandaged, but obviously breathing which takes the weight from Jack's shoulders easily. "You look like shit." He says teasingly, though it's probably the wrong time for jokes, but Ray's eyes open and all Jack sees is amusement.

"I took a bullet to the chest. What's your excuse?" Ray says, lips curling at the corners before motioning to the empty seat beside him. Jack closes the small distance, but doesn't sit. He stands in front of Ray and they stare intently on at each other before Ray's eyes soften. "Jack, I'm okay."

"But you almost weren't. We could have lost you." Jack says, swallowing the lump in his throat with some difficulty. "I just kept going and if Ryan hadn't-"

"I _wanted_ you to go. You had to finish the heist." Ray  says stubbornly and  holds out his hand for Jack to take. Jack does,  sits beside him, and presses a kiss to his knuckles with a sigh. "This is on my shoulders, not yours."

"Yeah, but Geoff-"

"Losing Geoff wasn't your fault either and he would hate it if you blamed yourself for something that wasn't in your control." Ray says and tilts his head to rest on Jack's shoulder. "Sometimes shit happens."

Jack says nothing and they sit in silence for some time. He turns his head and presses his lips to the top of Ray's head, soon burying his face in the dark hair. "Don't you ever pull the hero act again though, you got that?" He says suddenly with a frown. "While heroic, it was stupid and reckless."

Ray's shoulders shake with silent laughter. "I mean, yolo, right?"

Jack laughs because he just can't help it. Despite all of the bad, there was still a lot of good and Ray was right. As much as Jack wanted to blame himself, in the end, it really wasn't his fault. "Yeah. Yolo."

Michael, Gavin, and Ryan all join them on the plane not moments later, announcing with pride that someone was delivering their car and soon they would be able to head home. They all take surrounding seats; Michael and Gavin sitting as close to Ray as possible while Ryan sits across the aisle from Jack, watching out the window for their car.

It almost feels normal for a moment despite the missing member of their party and Jack lets himself relax into the seat, listening as the voices of his boys fill his ears. Jack doesn't open his eyes once, that is, until his phone starts to ring. He releases Ray's hand and fumbles with his pockets eventually pulling out his phone. He nearly drops it after he looks at the screen to see who's calling.

"Who the hell is calling you now of all times?" Michael asks and they all lean in to look at the phone in Jack's hand, even Ryan looks over from his place at the window.

"It says that Geoff is calling me." Jack says. Everyone stares between him and the phone, stunned at the truth of his words. Geoff was dead and while they'd like to believe it wasn't true, they knew what happened. They were all listening when the gun went off and Geoff stopped answering. "I guess someone just picked up his phone." His thumb hesitates over the answer button for a moment before finally swiping his thumb across the screen and lifting the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

_"Hey, asshole. How long do I have to keep waiting before you finish this heist?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like what you read? Wanna say hi?   
> Come visit me at [My Tumblr](http://thequeenofhighgarden.tumblr.com)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Before the car showed up, the group sat on the plane in a stunned silence. Geoff was alive, something they hadn't actually thought possible, but the phone call proved it. Their formerly missing piece was alive and safe at home, waiting for them to join him, so when the car finally arrived, they piled in, eager to get there. And if Michael drove thirty miles over the speed limit for them to get home faster, no one protested. ___

Before the car showed up, the group sat on the plane in a stunned silence. Geoff was alive, something they hadn't actually thought possible, but the phone call proved it. Their formerly missing piece was alive and safe at home, waiting for them to join him, so when the car finally arrived, they piled in, eager to get there. And if Michael drove thirty miles over the speed limit for them to get home faster, no one protested.

Jack was more than relieved that Geoff was alive, of course, but he felt a little upset that it had taken him so long to call and inform them of that fact. Geoff had called him after all of that time only to ask when they would be home because he was tired of waiting for them to finish what he called, 'the longest heist in the  history of heists'. Jack had been too stunned to reply and after a few moments of his silence, Ryan had taken the phone to tell Geoff they would be home soon.

Jack ends up sitting in the back seat with Ray and Ryan. He doesn't trust himself to drive and he would rather sit with two people who would keep him doing anything stupid in his frustration. Ray had linked their arms together, eventually dozing off with his head pillowed on Jack's shoulder and Ryan had said nothing, merely keeping a sturdy hand on Jack's knee as a source of stability.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but maybe Geoff didn't call for a reason." Ryan says after a few moments, keeping his voice low so not to wake Ray. "I mean, he knew we were on the heist and honestly, we probably wouldn't have been able to afford any more distractions."

Jack sighs, knowing that Ryan was right. Geoff wouldn't do anything that he knew would put them in danger. "But I would have rather known that he was alive, Ryan. I would have taken the distraction over thinking he was dead all this time."

"I know. We all would have appreciated the heads up, but we should just be grateful he's alive at all. He was probably just trying to protect us by not distracting us." Ryan explains gently and pats Jack's knee soothingly. "Just try to remember that when we see him?"

Jack says nothing, merely turns his head away from Ryan in favor of looking over Ray's head out the window. He really shouldn't be upset at Geoff, but at the same time, if Geoff had told them, it would have saved them a lot of grief. He was sure he would be allowed to confront Geoff about it when they got home, because on some level, they all wanted some answers. The only thing he was really worried about was keeping his head when he finally confronts him.

The rest of the car ride is quiet aside from idle conversation between Michael and Gavin in the front seat. Jack doesn't speak again until they get home and he has to rouse Ray from his nap. "Hey, time to wake up. We're home." He's met with a low groan and a mumbling that sounds like a protest, but with a small nudge of his shoulder, Ray finally lifts his head groggily. The glare that Ray gives him could probably kill, but Jack is more amused by it than anything. "Don't give me that look. You can go right back to sleep after you see Geoff."

Ray grumbles again, scrubbing a hand over his face before opening the car door and sliding out carefully until his feet touch the pavement. Ryan leaves the car not long after and moves around to join him, holding out his arm for Ray to use as support. He is still in pain from his injuries and walking isn't the easiest task for him, though he will never admit that out loud even when he takes it.

When  Jack gets out of the car, Michael and Gavin both quickly make their way up the sidewalk and disappear into the house. Jack leaves Ray with Ryan and goes in after the other two, ready to see Geoff with his own eyes and make sure that the last hour hasn't been some sort of prank.

Jack walks the length of the sidewalk and stops at the door, hand hesitating over the handle for a moment before he finally grabs it and gives it a turn. He opens the door, steps inside, and immediately, his eyes fall on Geoff who's wrapped up in the arms of both Gavin and Michael. For a moment, Jack's off feelings about Geoff not calling were extinguished by pure relief. Alive; Geoff was really alive.

After a few moments, Geoff finally looks his way and when he sees Jack, a grin spreads across his face. He opens his mouth to say something but before he can, Ray walks into the house with Ryan at his side. Geoff's expression shifts instantly, the grin dropping off of his face only to be replaced with a more serious look before he's untangling himself from Michael and Gavin's embrace. He moves to Ray, hesitating a moment before he's cupping the younger boy's face in his hands, looking him over. After his quick once over, Geoff leans forward, pressing a relieved kiss to Ray's forehead. "Jesus, you really scared me."

"Believe it or not, I've been getting that a lot today." Ray says with a small smile before rolling his eyes as Geoff looked over every bump and bruise that he'd acquired that day. Ray waves his hand around, trying to knock the other man's away. "Geoff, stop fussing."

While Geoff fusses over Ray, Ryan moves around them to check Geoff for any injuries. It doesn't take long for him to find a very poorly patched bullet wound on his shoulder to which Ryan shakes his head at disapprovingly. "This is the best you could do? It's like you didn't even try, Geoff."

"Oh, like you could do better under the circumstances I was in." Geoff replies, paying little to no attention to Ryan while he looked over his wound and instead continues to fuss over Ray. "And I can fuss if I want to. I thought you were _dead,_ Ray. Give me a break." Geoff pauses, releasing Ray's face in favor of turning to look at Jack, a frown on his face. "Why didn't you tell me he was okay?"

Jack was considering not confronting Geoff about the day's events at all when he started fussing over Ray. They were all slipping back into their regular routine with one another and it didn't seem like a good time to start an argument with Geoff being injured. Though the more Geoff speaks about how worried he was, the more Jack's resolve begins to crumble and his anger starts to boil all over again. It was the moment that Geoff turned to him, frowning in disapproval, and asking him how Jack couldn't tell him that Ray was alive that Jack snapped entirely. Jack hadn't planned on hitting Geoff, but sometimes, as Ray stated earlier, shit happened.

Geoff stumbles back into Ryan due to the force of Jack's punch and when he manages to regain his footing, he moves forward to shove Jack in retaliation. Gavin makes a noise that's on the verge of protest and Michael moves forward to interfere, but Ryan holds out his arm to stop him. Geoff glares at Jack and Jack glares back. "What the hell is your problem?"

" _My_ problem? My problem is that you're even asking me that question! You didn't even call one of us to tell us you were okay!" Jack exclaims and that seems to make Geoff even angrier. Jack shoves him back. "I thought you were dead, Geoffrey! We all thought you were dead and you're asking me what my problem is? You're a piece of work!"

"I _did_ call, asshole! You just didn't answer!" Geoff shouts and Jack takes a step away from him in surprise, dropping his hands.

The room falls into a stunned silence, Geoff cradles his bruising jaw, and Jack has no idea what to say. Everyone turns to look at him, each one of their gazes holding nothing but confusion while Jack can only stare at Geoff in confusion himself. "No, you didn't. The only phone call I got from you was the one after we finished."

Geoff scoffs, shaking his head. "Well, I called. A few times, actually. I left messages and everything." He grumbles, still massaging his jaw.

"Well, you were up in the air a lot...Maybe that interfered with the signal." Ray suggests helpfully, though one tired look from Jack and he holds up his hands defensively. "I'm just saying that you should try checking your voicemail. Notifications don't push through when a signal is lost."

Jack heaves a sigh and digs his phone out of his pocket, pressing the button for voicemail before also turning it on speaker so the room could hear that there were no messages in his inbox. "I'm telling you I never got a phone call or a notification, so this is going to be-"

_You have 7 new messages._

_"Hey, it's me. I tried talking through on the headsets, but no one is answering. I got shot and it hurts like a bitch, so do you think we could quit and call it a day?"_

Jack was startled when Geoff took his phone from him, having not noticed him get closer and watched in stunned silence as Geoff ended the call. "You really did call." He says as an uncomfortable feeling begins to twist in the pit of his stomach. He knows the feeling of guilt rather well. "Geoff, I'm sorry."

The silence that follows is suffocating with Geoff saying nothing, not even looking at him, and Jack wishing he could take back what he'd done. He can't blame him, of course; Geoff has every right to be upset with him. Jack hadn't answered his phone, came home, accused Geoff of never calling, and then punched him in the mouth only to be proven wrong moments later. A hundred apologies could never make up for it and Jack wouldn't blame him if he never forgave him at all.

After a few moments, Michael clears his throat, effectively breaking the silence. "Wow, you guys, Ray looks like he's about to pass out. Don't you think so, Gavin?" He asks, giving Gavin a very pointed look.

Gavin gives Michael a confused look in return, about to say something that looked to be a protest, but with a rough jab of an elbow to his ribs, he quickly changes his mind. "Oh! Yes, Ray looks bloody awful. We should really get him into bed."

"What are you talking about? I feel fine." Ray protests, batting away hands as Michael and Gavin move to fuss over him.

" _No,_ Ray. You look awful, and really tired. I really think it's _time we got you to bed."_ Michael says, stressing the emphasis on his words until it finally seems to click for everyone. The tension between Geoff and Jack was something the rest of them didn't want to be a part of, so using Ray's injury as an excuse to leave the room seemed like a good option.

"Oh, yeah, I'm really feeling tired. Chest bullets, you know." Ray replies, trying to keep up the illusion of normal, but knows Jack and Geoff can see right through it. Holding Gavin's arm, they make their way down the hall. Ray glances back over his shoulder. "Ryan, you coming?"

Ryan hesitates only a moment, looking between Geoff and Jack before nodding. He says nothing as he leaves, following the boys to the bedroom, and when the door clicks shut behind him, all that's left in the hall is Geoff and Jack.

Jack hesitates before speaking again, finding the silence even more uncomfortable now that it was just the two of them in the hall. "You should head to bed too. You need your rest. Shoulder bullets, you know." He jokes weakly, hoping to draw some kind of reaction but seeing no change in Geoff's expression causes his own to drop. "Yeah, well, I'm just going to go set up on the couch. I'll see you in the morning."

Jack turns to leave, ready to make his escape from the endless silence, but pauses mid-step when a hand grasps his wrist, holding him back. He turns to look back at Geoff, surprised at his actions, but more surprised at the grin that spreads across Geoff's face.

"Shoulder bullets? Really?" Geoff finally says, amused. "It wasn't even funny when Ray said it. You're trying too hard."

Jack stares at Geoff for a moment before shaking his head, a smile spreading across his own face. "I had to give it a shot." He says with a small shrug of his shoulders, gently tugging his wrist out of Geoff's hold so he could instead hold the hand in his own. The other hand cups his jaw, thumb gently brushing over the bruise he'd put there. "Geoff, I'm really sorry. For everything."

"I'm sorry too." Geoff replies, squeezing Jack's hand. "I'm sorry for how everything went and what it put all of you through."

"Geoff, it wasn't your fault-" Jack begins.

"And it wasn't yours either." Geoff points out. "In fact, if it weren't for you, we would have lost two of our boys today. You completed the heist, went back, saved both of them without any hesitation,  and I'm incredibly proud of you."

Jack feels his chest tighten with  emotion once Geoff finished speaking. Hearing Geoff say he was proud of him meant a lot, especially after the day's events. "I wasn't going to leave them behind." He says, giving the hand in his own a squeeze. "But thank you. I really needed to hear that."

Geoff gives him a smile that quickly turns into a yawn. "The boys had the right idea about heading to bed. What do you say that we go join them?"

Jack nods in agreement.  He wouldn't mind curling up with his boys and sleeping for a couple of days. "I think that's a fantastic idea." He says honestly, leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of Geoff's mouth. "And once we do, maybe you can tell us exactly how you got home today."

"For you, Jack? Anything."

* * *

"So after you got shot, you fell, and your headset came off." Jack repeats slowly. They're all in bed now, curled up with one another: Geoff with Jack, Michael with Gavin, and Ray with Ryan. The room is dark aside from the bedside lamp and aside from their conversation, the only other noises in the room were soft breathing and the occasional snores from their boys. "In your attempt to shoot the clerk in retaliation, you rolled onto your headset which caused it to break and you didn't notice it was broken until after you'd left me seven angry phone messages. Then you came home and watched the heist on the news."

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous." Geoff replies with a chuckle. "I couldn't exactly rejoin the heist at that point and it was breaking news by the time I got home. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Honestly? Probably focus more on cleaning and wrapping your injury in a way that doesn't make Ryan cringe." Jack teases, unable to not smile when Geoff pinches his side. "Hey, you asked."

"You're hilarious." Geoff says, tone not amused, but the kiss that's pressed to Jack's shoulder shows he's only giving him a hard time. He tightens his arm around Jack's waist and Jack places his hand over Geoff's, tangling their fingers together.

Jack squeezes Geoff's hand as they slip into a comfortable silence. He watches his boys in silence, watching their chests rise and fall with every breath. While the threat of losing one another was always looming over them, today was the closest they'd ever come and it was still a relief to remember they'd all managed to come home safely. "I love you."

Geoff says nothing for some time and Jack wonders if he's fallen asleep. It isn't until Geoff squeezes his hand in return that Jack knows he'd been heard. "I love you too." He says and Jack can hear the smile in his tone. Geoff shifts after a moment, removing his arm from around Jack's waist to remove the glasses from his face. He shifts carefully and places the glasses on the side table before reaching out to click the lamp off. The room is plunged into darkness and Geoff's arm takes its place around Jack's waist again. "Now stop being sappy and go to sleep."

Jack chuckles and his hand finds Geoff's so their fingers can tangle together once more. "Alright, alright, I'm going." He says, squeezing the hand in his own and closing his eyes. He lays in silence for a few moments, listening to each breath and snore, not speaking again until he could confirm that all of his boys were alive and sleeping soundly. He already knows this will be a habit for a few days. "Goodnight, Geoff."

"Goodnight, Jack."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's the end and I really hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all of your support and kindness through this journey c:
> 
> Like what you read? Wanna say hi?   
> Come visit me at [My Tumblr](http://thequeenofhighgarden.tumblr.com)


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